Where We Belong
by DramaLexy
Summary: June 26, 2013 will always be a special day for the Foster family.
1. Prologue

**TITLE: Where We Belong**

**SUMMARY: June 26, 2013 will always be a special day for the Foster family.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own, you don't sue.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fanfic for the Fosters. I've fallen head over heels for the show. This story was inspired by the historic events of June 26 and a comment by Lena from 1x02 about her 'marriage' to Stef. The title comes from the theme song for the show. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

For once, Stef Foster was glad that none of the kids living under her roof were morning people.

Early on June 26th, 2013, she and her partner of eleven years crept past their sleeping children's closed doors and down the staircase to the living room. They turned on the TV, keeping the volume low, and curled up on the couch together. Just like the two of them, the cable news networks were anxiously awaiting word from the US Supreme Court about two cases critical to the future of California and the country as a whole.

"We shouldn't get our hopes up," Lena whispered at one point. "Not again. It could go either way."

Stef sighed. "I know."

"What are we going to tell the kids if it's 'no'?"

Stef shrugged. "They're not little anymore. They've been keeping up with the news themselves."

"They're still going to wonder what it means for us."

Stef raised their joined hands so that she could kiss the back of Lena's. "We'll tell them the same thing we told them last time. A marriage license wouldn't change how we feel about each other or them."

"I know... But I still feel like I have to try to help them deal with how inexplicably unfair the world can be."

Stef snorted. "Can you help me deal with that, too?" But she knew exactly what her wife was trying to say. It was part of why they were watching the news alone instead of having woken up their children to join them. Some moments needed to be just for the two of them - and if the news ended up being bad, they were going to need some time to pull themselves together before being able to face their kids.

Both women looked back at the television as a 'BREAKING NEWS' graphic flashed across the screen. The network anchormen quickly cut away to a reporter in Washington DC, who had a thrilling announcement to make:

"The Supreme Court has just struck down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. It's a 5-4 decision and the Court has said that DOMA is unconstitutional as an issue of Equal Protection."

"Oh, my God," Lena breathed. "I can't believe it." The ruling - and it's justification - were exactly what they'd barely dared to hope for.

"...We're still waiting for the decision on California's Proposition 8," the reporter continued.

Stef sighed. "One down, one to go." Overturning DOMA was a huge step forward toward equality, but for the moment, it only helped those in states where same-sex marriage was already legal. California's membership in that small group of states was still in question.

The women remained in limbo, nervously waiting for word from the nation's capital, for the next 25 minutes. Finally, the reporter was ready to make another statement:

"The Supreme Court has decided it cannot take up the challenge to the ruling on California's Proposition 8. This means that the Federal Court ruling from 2010 will stand and same-sex marriage is now once again legal in the state of California."

Both women just stared at the TV, tears in their eyes, for the longest moment. "Is this real?" Lena finally managed. Stef turned and kissed her. The women enjoyed a moment to themselves to celebrate their future and that of their family.

"I love you," Lena whispered as they broke apart.

"I love you, too... So I guess I get to make an honest woman out of you."

Lena burst out laughing and wiped at her eyes. "It's about time!"

* * *

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 1 - Plans

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the reviews I've gotten so far. They were high points during a rocky weekend.**

* * *

Stef had already left for work by the time the kids finally rolled downstairs. All of them were fully taking advantage of their summer vacation. Lena broke the good news about the rulings before she had to go over to Anchor Bay Charter School for an administrative meeting. Brandon, Callie, Jesus, Mariana, and Jude fixed their own breakfast of cereal and fruit before they got dressed and headed for the beach.

"So, I don't get it," Callie told Brandon as they and Jude walked down the sidewalk behind Jesus and Mariana. "Why didn't your moms get married before Prop 8 was passed?"

"They wanted to," he replied. "They were planning on it, but then they heard about Prop 8 and decided to wait until after the election."

"Why?" Jude wondered. His foster siblings had given him the cliffnotes version of California's same-sex marriage history that morning.

Jesus slowed down to join the conversation. "Moms said the only thing worse than not being able to get married would be to get married and then have someone tell them it wasn't valid anymore."

"But that didn't happen with Prop 8," Callie pointed out.

"No, but they didn't know it would work that way at the time," Brandon replied. "It had already happened in San Francisco."

"Ever since we first came to live with them," Mariana recalled, "They'd always say they were married in their hearts. That was a marriage no one could take away."

"They'd just say that 'cause we were little kids," Jesus told her. "That's not the same as real marriage, and it's not fair. Lena could put her name on our adoption papers, but she couldn't legally be a Foster."

"Until now," Mariana reminded him. "Mama already said that they're going to get married now, and I can't wait."

Jesus eyed his sister suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because we get to plan a party!" she replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And after my quinceanera, I'm really good at it. I'm going to help Moms with everything."

Brandon and Jesus rolled their eyes.

* * *

Lena and Stef were both home and working on dinner by the time the kids got back from the beach that evening. "Did you get sunburned?" Stef asked Jude, looking at his slightly red shoulders as the kids all came into the kitchen.

He glanced down to check. "Uh, yeah, maybe a little."

"Brandon, can you take him upstairs and get the aloe for him? It's in Mama's and my bathroom."

"Sure."

"Can you guys put everyone's wet stuff in the washer while you're up there?" Lena added.

"Okay. Come on, bud." They took the bag Callie was holding and headed for the steps.

"So, when's the wedding?" Mariana asked her mothers with a grin as she sat at the table in the middle of the kitchen.

Lena and Stef looked at each other. "Um, we're not sure," Stef finally answered.

"I figured you'd be doing it tomorrow," Jesus commented as he reached for one of the tater tots in the container on the table.

Lena smacked his wrist. "Can't you wait five minutes? We're not starving you, Jesus!"

"To answer your question," Stef told them, "No, we're not getting married tomorrow."

"Of course not," Mariana said, shooting her brother a Look. "You can't plan a wedding in a day."

"There's not going to be much to plan," Lena told her. "We're just going to go downtown."

Her mouth fell open. "What?"

"We don't need anything fancy, love," Stef explained. "Just a simple ceremony and our family."

"But you have to!"

"Have to what?" Brandon asked as he and Jude returned. "The aloe's empty, Mom."

"Sorry, sweets," Stef told Jude. "I'll go out to the store after dinner."

He shrugged. "It doesn't hurt."

"Moms aren't having a wedding," Mariana loudly announced in order to get the conversation back to it's previous topic.

"What? Why not?" Brandon asked.

"We ARE having a wedding," Lena corrected, "But we don't need a big ceremony."

"We have better things to spend our money on," Stef added, "Like the five of you. We'll schedule the wedding as soon as we're allowed to and all we need is you guys to be there with us."

"Even us?" Jude asked, indicating himself and his sister.

"Of course," Lena replied with a smile. "This is about all of us, our family and love in general. We want you all to be a part of it."

* * *

After they ate dinner and the kitchen had been cleaned up, the kids headed upstairs. Brandon grabbed Jesus and Jude and they all got together in Callie and Mariana's room.

"We can't let the Moms do this," he told the rest of his siblings. "It's not fair to them. They've waited so long; they deserve to have something really great for their wedding."

"Weddings cost a lot of money," Callie pointed out. "And they've already thrown a big party this year."

Mariana sniffed. "They were already saving for my quince." She didn't like the idea that her mothers couldn't have a big wedding because of her huge birthday party - so she simply convinced herself it wasn't true.

"Moms might not be able to afford a big wedding," Jesus realized, "But we could do something for them."

"Like what?" Jude asked.

"We could throw a party. Here. After the ceremony downtown."

Brandon nodded. "I like it. We could invite family friends, make the food and decorations ourselves... I bet we could pull it off on our allowances."

"I can plan out everything," Mariana volunteered with a smile.

"Just remember what kind of budget you're working with," Jesus pointedly told her.

"So are we going to do this?" Brandon asked. Everyone nodded.

* * *

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 2 - Plotting

**A/N: Again, thank you all for the reviews. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted, and Happy 4th! (or Happy Thursday to the rest of the world)**

* * *

Over the next few days, Lena and Stef noticed that their kids seemed to be spending a lot of time together. Not that they didn't normally do things in pairs or threes or a group, but this seemed different.

"Do you know what's going on?" Stef asked Lena as they worked on dinner one evening. Brandon, Jesus, Mariana, Callie, and Jude were all in the backyard sitting at the patio table with a laptop.

"Nope. Jesus said something earlier about an assignment they were working on." The kids had just started attending Anchor Bay's summer curriculum - an educational (and fun) month-long program that kept them active and doing something more stimulating than watching TV.

"An assignment, huh?" Stef asked. "For what?"

"I'm not sure. I know Jude's class has a cultural fair next week."

"Hmm. I'll be right back." She then headed outside to see for herself what they were up to. "Hey, guys."

All of the kids looked up. "What's up, Mom?" Brandon asked.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing. Dinner's almost ready."

"Okay," Mariana told her. "We'll be there in a minute."

"What are you working on?"

"Jude has a project for summer school," Callie told her.

"Yeah, Lena was saying there's a cultural fair?" Stef glanced at the laptop screen; there was a Wikipedia page about Mexico visible.

Jesus nodded. "Yeah, he's got to pick a country to make a poster about."

"I see. It's really nice of you guys to help him with it. All four of you."

Mariana flashed her patented get-out-of-trouble smile. "It's something interesting to do together."

"Of course. You can work on it some more after dinner, okay? Go wash hands and can someone please set the table?"

"I will," Jude instantly volunteered.

"Thanks, buddy." Stef went back into the kitchen as the kids started cleaning up their things.

"What's going on?" Lena asked her.

"No idea, but there's something, and they're all in on it. I guess eventually we'll find out which one of them we're supposed to be punishing and what they did to deserve it."

Lena laughed. "We always do."

% ^ % ^ % % ^ % ^ %

Outside, the kids breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind Stef. "That was close," Brandon commented.

"Really," Mariana agreed. She reached over Jude's shoulder to change the active window back to the party planning checklist that they'd been working on before they were interrupted. "We can do more later. Brandon, I need the guest list for Mom. I'm doing the one for Mama. Callie, come up with some decorating ideas. And you think about food," she told her twin.

Jesus smiled. "I always do."

* * *

The Moms decided to have a movie night, so nothing else got done that evening. Mariana was eager to keep working in the morning, though. She and Jesus had a art class together, and she cornered him to talk about food ideas while they worked on making mosaic pieces.

"For starters, where are we going to put the food?" she asked.

Jesus raised an eyebrow. "Uh, the kitchen?"

Mariana shot him a Look. "That's boring."

"There's only one table in the backyard. Which I assume people will be eating at. We'll cook stuff on the grill and then just put it on the kitchen tables. People can serve themselves."

"Okay. What about the menu?"

"Burgers and hot dogs."

Mariana almost swallowed her tongue. "For a wedding party?!"

"We're cooking on the grill. What do you want to serve? Steak? There's a reason the Moms don't buy stuff like that for us very often; it's expensive."

"We could make chicken kabobs."

"Okay, fine. And just veggie ones for anyone who doesn't eat meat."

Mariana nodded. "And we have to get a cake."

"Chocolate," Jesus decided.

"But Mama likes vanilla."

"Could get one of those ones that's half and half."

"Perfect." Mariana wiped off her hands and pulled out her smartphone so she could tick a few things off of her list. Jesus looked over as she sighed.

"What?"

"Brandon still didn't send me his list!"

He shrugged. "So remind him at lunch."

* * *

Mariana was ready and waiting for her brother when he joined her, Jesus, and Callie at a picnic table outside for lunch. "Where's your guest list?" she asked. "I want to send the e-vites tonight."

"I'm still working on it."

"You said you were almost done yesterday."

"I'm still almost done... I'm trying to decide whether or not to put my dad on the list."

His siblings were all quiet for a long moment. Mike and Stef's relationship was understandably complicated. Mike had always been on the fringes of the family, though he'd recently seemed determined to change that. What exactly were the etiquette rules about inviting someone to their ex's wedding party?

"Do you think he'd come?" Jesus asked his brother.

"I don't know. I just don't want to make him sad. He obviously knows Mom's with Lena, but... It seems like he's been missing us a lot lately. I don't want to rub it in his face."

"Would he be sad if you didn't ask him?" Callie quietly inquired.

Brandon thought about it. "Yeah, probably."

"Then just ask. It's his choice whether to come or not."

"True."

"And if he did come," Mariana piped up, "We could use his help. Somehow we've got to hide all of the food and everything from our Moms."

"Good point," Jesus commented.

Brandon nodded. "Okay. I'll ask."

* * *

Brandon thought his dad deserved a little more than just one of Mariana's e-mail invitations, though. They had plans to hit the batting cages the next night - Mike was still determined to find his son's hidden athletic ability - so Brandon figured that would be a good time to talk.

"That-a-boy!" Mike exclaimed as his son actually managed to connect his bat with five balls in a row. "You're getting better!"

"Sure," Brandon half-heartedly agreed as he took his helmet off and stepped out of the batting cage.

"So how are things going at the house?"

"Good. I, uh, wanted to ask you something, actually."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well... the Moms are getting married next weekend, and us kids are going to throw a party for them. I was wondering if you wanted to come."

Mike's face was a carefully schooled mask for a few moments, before his smile finally returned. "Sure. They've been waiting a long... real long time for this."

"I know it's weird, and don't feel like you have to say yes."

"Brandon, come on. I'm happy for your mom - for both of them."

"Really?"

"Yeah. All of you guys and Lena, you're what makes her happy. It's taken me a while to get here, but I know that seeing you and your mom happy without me is better than not seeing you happy at all."

"I don't want to be without you. You're still my Dad. I like that we're hanging out more."

Mike smiled. "Me, too, buddy."

"So you're sure you want to come?"

"Definitely."

"Okay... Could we get you to help us out a little?"

* * *

The night before the wedding, Mike opened the door to his apartment to find five kids laden with groceries in the hall. "Whoa," was all he could say.

"Where's the fridge?" Mariana asked, taking charge as always.

"Uh, over here. Come on." They brought everything into the kitchen and started working out what would fit where in the fridge and freezer.

"Where do your moms think you all are?" Mike asked.

"The movies," Jude replied.

"Yeah," Jesus agreed, "I think they were glad we were all doing something together."

Mike shook his head with a little smile. "I bet." It wasn't often that Lena and Stef could get all of the kids out of the house at the same time.

Finally, everything was organized in Mike's fridge and they'd put a couple bags of decorations and plasticware in the corner. "You're sure you'll be okay bringing all of this over to the house tomorrow?" Brandon asked his father.

Mike nodded. "I asked a couple guys from the station to help. Just text me once you guys have left."

"Okay."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Mariana exclaimed and pulled an object out of one of the bags. "Tada!" she showed it off for her siblings. It was a framed picture of the five of them and their moms, which had been taken a month earlier on the last day of the school year.

"That came out nice," Jesus complemented his sister.

Mariana fished through the bag for some decorative pens. "We all need to sign the frame. And then we'll give it to the Moms. They love family pictures."

Each of them picked a color and wrote their names. As Mariana started to put the frame back into her bag, Callie put a hand on her shoulder. "Um, thanks," she told her younger foster sister. "For including me and Jude in that, I mean."

Mariana blinked. "Why wouldn't we?"

Callie smiled a little. "Right."

* * *

TBC...


	4. Chapter 3 - Until Death Do Us Part

The next morning, Stef woke up to the smell of coffee. "Lena?" she asked her soon-to-be wife.

"Mmm?" she groggily replied as she woke up.

"Do you smell what I smell?"

A moment later, Lena sat up in bed. "Coffee... and... Is that bacon?"

Both women were shocked to walk into the kitchen and find their five kids setting up breakfast. Normally meals were always a task for the moms - expecting the kids to get up for anything in the morning was a joke. But here they all were: Jude was setting the table, Callie was making scrambled eggs, Brandon was putting the bacon on a plate, Jesus was pouring coffee and juice, and Mariana was setting out a towering platter of pancakes.

"Happy Wedding Day!" they all chorused when they noticed their mothers in the doorway.

"Thank you, loves," Stef replied.

"Yes, thank you," Lena added.

"We're almost done," Brandon told them. "You guys just sit and relax."

"Okay... Just out of curiosity, what time is it?" Stef asked.

Jesus looked at the clock on the microwave. "Seven-thirty."

"So... all of you are actually capable of waking up on your own in the morning?" Stef continued.

Mariana shrugged. "Sure. We just don't like to."

Lena went to look at the food they'd made. "I'm really impressed, guys!"

"Yeah," Stef agreed. "And now that we know you can handle it, we should start doling out more chores for all of you."

The older four all froze. "Uh, I don't think so, Mom," Brandon replied.

"Yeah," Jesus agreed. "I mean, you wouldn't want to cut into our sleep. Growing bodies and all of that."

"I don't think I'd have enough time to get my hair and everything ready in the mornings," Mariana added.

Jude, however, just shrugged. "I don't mind chores."

Lena laughed and pulled him in for a hug. "Oh, a kid after my own heart!"

"We just thought it'd be nice for you guys to not have to worry about anything this morning," Callie explained.

"It's very nice," Stef agreed. "Thank you, all of you. This looks great."

* * *

They made sure they had plenty of time to get ready to go downtown, since the limited number of bathrooms in the house always made mornings more complicated. There were no fancy white gowns for this wedding, but everyone did dress up. Lena had a off-white sundress with orchids printed on it. Stef had found a pale blue knee-length dress that really made her eyes stand out. The boys had white or grey shirts with ties and dress pants. Mariana even let Callie borrow a dress from her extensive wardrobe instead of spending money on a new one.

"Is everybody ready?" Stef asked as they got out of the family SUV at the County Clerk's Office. They all nodded.

As they started walking down the sidewalk, Mariana grabbed Brandon's arm. "You texted Mike, right?" she quietly asked her brother.

"Yeah, relax. He'll take care of everything before we get back."

There was some paperwork the moms had to finish before the ceremony. Once that was out of the way, the Marriage Commissioner smiled at the family as they gathered in the side room where the wedding would take place. "Every day, I remind myself I've got the best job in the world," he told them. "Are you ready to begin?"

There was a small, nicely decorated wedding arch at the front of the room, which the Commissioner waited beside. Callie, Jude, and Mariana walked down the little aisle to join him. Behind them, Brandon escorted Stef, while Jesus escorted Lena. The women had wanted all of the kids to stand with them for the ceremony.

"We are gathered today," the Commissioner began, "In the presence of this beautiful family for the joining of Lena and Stefanie in the bond of matrimony.

"The contract of marriage is not one to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully and with a deep realization of the obligations and responsibilities it entails. Please remember that love, loyalty, and understanding are the foundation of a happy home. No human ties are stronger or more important.

He turned to Stef first. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

The words send a chill down her spine. If this was a dream, she didn't ever want to wake up. "I do."

"And do you promise to keep her, love and comfort her, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or worse, and to be faithful until death do you part?"

"I do."

After Lena had repeated the same vows, the Commissioner turned to Jude. "I believe you have the rings, young man?" He nodded and fished them out of his pocket. Lena and Stef had picked simple gold bands, both engraved on the inside with the words LOVE, LIFE, FAMILY.

Lena took one of the rings from her foster son. "I give you this ring as a token of my love and commitment," she promised as she slipped it onto Stef's finger. Stef got the other ring and repeated the process.

"Now that you have joined yourselves formally in matrimony," the Commissioner continued, "May you strive all of your lives to meet this contract with the same sense of love and commitment. It is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you spouses for life!"

Stef couldn't help a short laugh. After so long, so many years spent wondering if this day would ever come, it almost seemed too quick and easy. "We're married," she whispered to Lena.

"I know," she replied in kind, tears in her eyes.

"Well, ladies?" the Commissioner asked with a grin, "What are you waiting for?"

Stef looked to Brandon and Jesus. "I don't want to hear a word about PDAs," she warned her sons just before Lena's lips met hers. All of the kids cheered and clapped.

* * *

**TBC...**


	5. Chapter 4 - Unexpected

**A/N: As always, thank you guys so much for the reviews! They always put a smile on my face.**

* * *

Lena and Stef couldn't help but notice that their kids seemed a bit anxious as they left the Clerk's Office. "We were thinking we could go do an early dinner," Stef told them as they walked back toward the car. "Splurge a little and celebrate."

All of the kids stared at each other, wide-eyed. "Uh, no, thanks," Brandon answered for the group.

"Yeah," Jesus added. "Let's just go home."

Lena and Stef shared a confused look. "Go home?" Lena repeated. "You guys don't want to go to Baci? It'll be the first time for Callie and Jude." The fancy Italian restaurant was a family favorite for big nights out.

"That's okay," Callie told them.

"Yeah, I'm tired," Mariana added. "We can just go home."

"Okay," Stef finally agreed. The kids all started getting in the car, but their moms hung back.

"What is going on?" Lena quietly asked her wife.

"I don't know. Maybe we prepared them a little too well for the idea that this day would never come; I guess it's not that big of a deal for them."

Lena nodded slightly. "Yeah. It really doesn't change that much for them, does it? We're still the same family we were yesterday." The legal rights they'd just gained were something the kids didn't have to worry about.

Stef, however, shook her head before she kissed her wife. "No, we're better."

% ^ % ^ % % ^ % ^ %

Inside the car, the kids were relieved as they all buckled up. "That could have been really bad," Jesus commented.

"Yeah," Mariana agreed.

"They look sad," Brandon realized as he glanced out the window. "Maybe they were really looking forward to going out together. "

Jude frowned. "I didn't want to make them sad."

"They'll be really happy when we get home," Mariana promised. "Text Mike and tell him we're on our way," she told Brandon.

"Will do."

* * *

As they pulled up to the house, though, Mariana was starting to wonder if she could keep her promise. "Do you think anybody came?" she whispered to Jesus. There weren't any extra cars in the driveway or on the street. What if the party was a total disaster? They could ruin the day for their mothers!

Jesus just shrugged, but she could tell he had the same concern. As they walked through the front door, suddenly the lights turned on. "Surprise!" a couple dozen voices cried as people appeared from their hiding spots in the dining and living rooms.

Stef and Lena were absolutely speechless. "What is going on?" Stef finally asked once she recovered.

Brandon stepped forward. "We wanted to have a party for you," he told his mother. "We didn't think it was fair for you guys not to be able to celebrate with us and your friends." There were tears in Stef's eyes as she pulled her oldest son to her for a hug.

"Is everything set up?" Mariana asked Mike.

He nodded. "All your stuff's out back and I got the grill started."

"Well, then," Jesus said, "Let's have a party!"

All of the guests started heading for the backyard, but Stef caught Mike's arm before he could follow. "Hey. You helped the kids with all of this?"

He gave a self-deprecating shrug. "It was their idea, I just figured they could use a hand."

Stef nodded. "Thank you, Mike." And it was for more than just the party.

He smiled. "No problem. Congratulations."

* * *

Brandon and Jesus worked together at the grill, with occasional help from Mike. Mariana kept circling through the backyard to make sure everything was set up according to her plan. Callie and Jude took the plates of cooked food back inside to add to the spread in the kitchen. Besides the burgers, hot dogs, and kabobs, they had salad, potato salad, fruit, chips, and drinks. It wasn't the fanciest party in the world, but Stef and Lena thought it was just perfect.

"How's it going over here?" Stef asked as she approached her sons at the grill. Most of the food had already been cooked and they were just finishing up the last few items as leftovers for them to eat later.

"We've got it, Mom," Jesus told her. "Go sit down or talk to people or something."

She laughed. "I'm just checking on my guys. I still can't believe you all pulled this off - and without us knowing a thing!"

"They're dangerous working together, huh?" Mike asked her as he joined them.

"Yeah, very. I've gotta remember that."

Lena walked over. "Mariana wants us to cut the cake," she told her wife.

"Okay. Are you guys coming over, too?" Stef asked her sons.

Mike reached for the spatula that Brandon was holding. "I'll finish up over here. Go."

Mariana and Callie carried the cake out from the kitchen and put it on their patio table. It was just a grocery store cake, but they'd gotten them to write 'Congratulations Lena & Stef!' on it, and Mariana had found a little cake topper of two interlocking hearts.

"This looks beautiful, you guys," Lena told her daughters.

"Thank you," Mariana proudly replied. Callie got a knife and a stack of small plates. Stef and Lena each cut themselves squares.

"Aren't you supposed to shove those in each other's faces?" one of Stef's co-workers called out.

She shot him a Look. "No."

Lena laughed. "We can at least feed each other a piece," she suggested as she got a fork and broke off a piece of her wife's slice. Stef did the same and they prepared to give each other a bite of the cake - and then Lena flicked her wrist so the cake hit Stef in the face. She gasped and grabbed the rest of Lena's slice to hit her in retaliation. Everyone laughed and clapped.

"I'll get you back for that later," Stef told Lena under her breath as they both wiped the icing of their faces.

She grinned. "I'm counting on it."

* * *

Once everyone had eaten cake, the table got moved aside to open up room for a 'dance floor.' Lena and Stef danced with each other and the kids, and everyone was having a great time. At one point Mariana approached the newlyweds with a gift bag.

"There's other presents inside, but I thought you might want to open this one now," she explained. "It's from us kids."

"Sure, love," Stef agreed. Inside the bag was the photo that the kids had signed. And as Mariana had expected, the gift had both of her mothers close to tears.

"This is beautiful," Lena told her. "Thank you, all of you." The kids each waited their turn for a hug - except for Callie. As Lena looked around for her foster daughter, she noticed her disappear inside through the kitchen door. Jude also saw his sister and followed her.

"What's wrong?" Stef asked her wife.

"I don't know. I'll be back."

Inside the house, Lena could hear sobs and the sound of Jude's little voice saying, "Don't cry, Callie. Please don't cry," over and over again. The two siblings were curled up together in the corner of the living room, and Lena chose to hang back, unseen, in the kitchen. Callie rarely let anyone besides her brother behind her walls, and Lena didn't want to interrupt this chance for her to discuss her feelings.

"We don't belong here," Callie finally told Jude once she'd calmed down. "They pretend we're part of their family, but we're not... Sometimes I hate it when they pretend."

Jude sighed. "I like it."

"They don't want us, though. We can't get used to this because we can't stay. You always have to remember that."

"I wish we could stay."

"Wishes don't come true. Getting close to them will just make it harder in the end, Jude."

"I know."

Callie wiped her face. "Come on, let's go back outside."

Jude poked a finger at the corner of his sister's mouth. "Brave smiles," he reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm trying."

Lena was doing her best not to also break down. They'd thought they were helping the siblings, but were they really? Was this arrangement actually just adding more pain to two traumatic childhoods?

Callie froze when she and Jude came into the kitchen and saw one of their foster mothers. "I was just looking for you guys," Lena fibbed, as though she hadn't heard their conversation. "Are you alright?"

The siblings nodded. "Yeah," Callie told her. "We're going to go back outside."

Lena followed, and rejoined Stef. "Everything okay?" the blonde wondered as they watched Jude join Jesus and Mariana on the 'dance floor,' while Callie sat alone on the sidelines. Brandon also seemed to be concernedly watching his foster sister.

"No," Lena softly answered, "It's not. But we can talk about it later. I think we're going to need to call the kids' social worker."

* * *

**TBC...**

**A/N 2: One chapter left!**


	6. Epilogue

By the time the guests had left, the backyard had been cleaned up, and the kids were set for the night, Lena and Stef were still marveling over how amazing the day had been. They both changed into pajamas and went through their nighttime routine. As Stef walked back into their room after checking on all of the kids, she found that Lena was sitting on their bed, staring at two objects. Their marriage license was in one hand and the picture of them and the kids was in her other hand.

"I still can't believe it," Lena commented as Stef sat next to her on the bed.

Stef held her left hand up and wiggled it, showing off her ring. "Yep, it's official."

Lena smiled. "A piece of paper definitely isn't what makes our family real, but having it now... I feel incredibly normal in a way I never thought was possible." She leaned over and kissed her wife. "Thank you."

"Hey, the kids did all the work today. We were just along for the ride. Speaking of the kids, though... what's going on with Callie and Jude?"

Lena sighed. "I think we made a mistake."

"Letting them stay?"

She shook her head. "The way we did it. They are never going to feel safe or worth anything if they're always worried about when they'll have to leave. They deserve better. We have to do better."

Stef smiled. "I was wondering when we were going to have this conversation."

Lena blinked. "So... you're okay with this? I'm mean, you're the one who said you didn't want to be like the Brady Bunch."

"Mmm, and at that point I didn't even know Callie was part of a two-for-one special. But I've been warming up to the idea. It's hard to imagine this house without them now. Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little terrified. Five kids is a lot to handle."

"We've never backed down from a challenge before."

"True."

Stef pointed to the picture in her wife's hand. "This is our family. Of seven. We all belong together."

"Okay. I'll call Bill on Monday."

Stef smiled as they curled up together on the bed. "Two kids is a pretty good wedding present for us to get each other, right?"

Lena laughed. "Definitely. I love you, Stef Foster."

"And I love you, Lena Foster."

* * *

**Fin. (At least until the next story)**

**Thanks again to everyone who sent reviews!**


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